Ten Thousand Cranes
by Fluorescens
Summary: The sequel to The Unexpected Twist of Fate. Kagome and Sesshoumaru are now separated she would have to go back to Inuyasha, and he had finally regained his memories. What would happen to them, and how would their relationship develop?
1. Hell

**Hell.**

* * *

Just a brief recap before you read this: 

- Kagome and Rin have been abducted by Byakuya.  
- Chiyo has been killed; and Tessaiga has been coated with her blood.  
- Kouga is truly dead, that poor thing, but pls don't tell me to revive him.  
- Sesshoumaru was almost killed by Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu, and he regained his memories.  
- Jaken and Ah-Un are fine (not mentioned though.  
- Mouryoumaru is still lurking around somewhere behind my door with Naraku's heart.  
- Kikyou and Kohaku are still together.  
- Toukijin got broken in the process (not mentioned) from Kaze no Kizu.  
- Houjou and his cousin are still hanging around, in Tokyo.

* * *

Glossary:

demo - but

taijiya - youkai exterminator

nee-san - elder sister

bakemono - ghost

ki - internal energy/spirit

shouki - miasma daijoubu - its alright

katana - sword

chichi-ue - respectful way of addressing one's father

* * *

_**"To sit alone with my conscience will be judgment enough for me." **_

**- Charles William Stubbs**

* * *

He blinked his eyes slowly; his eyelashes felt as if they had been coated with lead.

He tried to focus on his surroundings and heaved at the same time. His chest hurt, and he wondered why. Light gray mist drifted before his eyes like a veil of silk, and he could not understand why they were always there in his dreams. It clouded his vision and dulled his senses, even though he knew that it was not real.

Still, he was Sesshoumaru, and he liked to have an unobstructed view of everything. He turned his face around slightly and the muscles in his neck burned and tightened as never before. He winced at that uncomfortable sensation and allowed his eyelids to droop.

He felt weary, expended beyond what he could bear and very, very down. And it was an odd feeling since he rarely felt depressed or hopeless. Did one need hope when one was a youkai? Who was it that told him that hope was futile? That hope itself was an oxymoron which burns deeper than hopelessness?

His head hurt and he dragged his eyelids up again. _Dreams always ask one weird questions_, he told himself.

Sesshoumaru leaned against something unknown; it was hard, stiff and cold. He glanced around the mist-coated surroundings. It was a grass field that looked deplorably bleak under the dim grayish light. There were no flowers, no birds, no butterflies. Just blades and blades of gray-looking grass that stretched on and on, seemingly to the ends of the earth and the skies.

It was soundless, even though he could see the grass blades swaying side by side as if there was a light breeze rushing through them. But he could not feel that breeze, nor the temperature of the air that seemed to crawl on his skin. The field before him was also almost colourless too, as if the vibrancy of Life had been sucked out of it. Everything was in different, depressing shades of gray, and that made him sadder.

Then he looked down at himself and realized that he was not gray at all. He was white, and red, and silver and flesh-colored. He could see the soft suede of his black boots, the bright yellows and rich blues of his obi, and the deep mahogany brown hilt of Tenseiga's saya. He reached out his hand and touched his hakamas; they felt cool, smooth and taut. But was he the only one that was inot/i gray? And the air seemed to press down on his skin; it felt supremely dense but yet very, very still. The familiar scent of oncoming thunderstorms suddenly came, and he looked up to skies in varying shades of dismal gray.

_I seem to be in Hell._

And upon that thought, a soft voice trickled across the field from the left.

He jerked his head up to the direction and saw a wave of colours spreading itself from the left to the right. The voice was familiar, very familiar. But he could see no one at all, and the colours vanished as fast as they had come. His eyebrows dipped to the center as he narrowed his eyes in search for his little girl; _She must be there._

Then he heard it again; it was louder this time round, and her voice seemed to come from the other direction.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"

He swiftly turned his head to the right and another wave of bright colours flooded the field in one direction like a spilled bucket of water. The echoes faded with the colours like the way waves receded back to the merciless ocean, but he still could not catch any sight of her.

He frowned hard; had something bad happened to her? Why could he hear her voice and not see her? Or had something bad happened to him?

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"

He could not ascertain the direction of her voice and called out in frustration, "Rin."

There was complete silence, as if the little one knew that she should not play hide-and-seek with her youkai lord anymore.

Then he heard sobbing, and thought he could recognize that scent of bitter tears. He could not see her, but he knew that it was Kagome, and she was hiding somewhere in this wide gray field. Her hushed cries seem to radiate from every corner of this bleached-out space, and he wanted to get up; to look for her, to scout for Rin, and to see whether they are alright or not. But his legs would not move as if Hell had bound them to the field with invisible cords. He felt extremely helpless and useless, and wanted to scream when he heard it again.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Her cheerful voice returned, and he jumped. It was right behind him, and the corners of his mouth curled up as he turned around. He wanted to see Rin, to see her happy smile and her messy pony-tail. Perhaps Kagome would be with her too.

But the sight of a nameless tomb greeted his eyes, and he gasped out loud.

* * *

Her eyelashes fluttered a little, like the wings of a new-born butterfly that struggles out from its cocoon. 

When she opened her crusty eyes, she could not see anything, at all.

Kagome stared into nothingness for a while and wondered whether she had really opened her eyes. Or had she turned blind?

She rubbed her arms weakly and exhaled slowly; it was rather cold, and she wondered why. Was she locked inside a refrigerator then? A bad dream perhaps? She tried to scan her surroundings, and to her horror she could not find any beam or source of light at all. It was too dark; the absence of warm light seem to chill right to the core of her bones, and she shivered uncontrollably.

She sniffed a little, and the musty dingy scent evoked a precious memory that was of him and her.

_Sesshoumaru..._

Kagome closed her eyes and leaned back against what seemed like a tree to her. She could almost visualize the bright orange-red flames of the fire that he had kindled in the hut, dancing and licking around the cold, roughened gray stones. She could see his bright, iridescent gold irises hiding behind that soft, silver curtain and how she had tried to part them. She could remember the rhetorical questions they asked each other, the bittersweet hug that he gave and how she had drowned herself in it; but she could not feel the familiar heat on her skin that should have accompanied her thoughts.

Kagome drew her legs in, hoping that her pleated skirt would be able to cover more of her exposed skin and rubbed her arms hard.

But she just could not reproduce the same warmth that he had given her during that winter, and she felt miserable and exhausted.

She could see nothing; the empty darkness bore into her eyes and she felt hollowed out. She could hear nothing other than her own heavy, laboured breathing which seemed to reverberate within her chest and created echoes in her head. She could not feel anything around her other than the tree behind her back and the short, grass blades that tickled her bare feet. Her mind felt awfully heavy and clouded, as if she had been unconscious for a long, long time. There was this dull, numbing ache at the back of her neck, and Kagome buried her face into her folded arms.

What had happened to her? Where was she? Was there anyone else around in this dark space?

Kagome missed him terribly, and the isolation she felt only made it worse.

_"Only memories that I can hold on to..."_ She smiled bitterly to herself and brushed away the tears. She did not understand why she felt so depressed and helpless; _perhaps it's the darkness_, she reasoned to herself.

_Why do you miss him?_

She opened her wet eyes. Someone was asking her.

_Why do you think of him?_

Her lips parted; but there was no answer for that question.

_And what about Inuyasha?_

Her eyelids drooped upon that question.

_Why can't you decide now?_

Kagome shut her lids and covered her ears.

_What are you going to do?_

She frowned, and desperately wished that the voice would go away.

_Inuyasha still loves you._

"He has Kikyou," Kagome retorted to herself.

_But he still loves you._

She nodded her head, although she wanted to cry.

_You know what you have to do._

She buried her face into her arms again and surrendered. Her conscience would never forgive her if she just let go of him like that. Inuyasha had braved his life for her, so many times that she could not count. He had always placed her safety in a higher priority than he himself; and he always waited for her, no matter how far she lagged behind, no matter when she would climb out of that dry well.

Inuyasha was always around the corner for her, in his own special way that no one other than Kagome, herself would understand.

So she cried. And in her dream, the raindrops splattered mercilessly against her uncovered head, and she wrapped her virgin-wings around herself, because she could no longer fly. Her fate had been sealed like an aborted cocoon.

* * *

Inuyasha leaned back against the trunk as he balanced himself on a sturdy branch. 

"Inuyasha!" Sango yelled, but he did not respond.

Miroku took a look at Shippou, who was staring at his feet silently with his back hunched. He shook his head and tossed more wood into the growing fire.

"Sango, let him be," he let out a silent sigh and began to insert a thick twig through the river trout.

"Demo..." Sango's voice trailed off as Inuyasha turned his face away from her.

Miroku beckoned the taijiya to the fire and patted the seat beside him, "Inuyasha will be fine."

"This is such a big mess..." Sango took a cautious peek at the hanyou and whispered softly.

The monk shrugged his shoulders and wondered what had really transpired between Inuyasha, Kagome and Sesshoumaru. Things could not get more confusing and difficult at the same time. "I hope Kagome-sama is fine."

Sango nodded her head and frowned a little at the grilled fish that Miroku passed to her. She did not have any appetite at all, but she knew that she had to eat since she needed the energy to look for her good friend. At the thought of Kagome's possible death, Sango bit into the fish and forced herself to chew.

From the corner of her eye, Sango glanced at Miroku and frowned harder; the skin under his eyes were sagging and dark. Shippou was listless and depressed, whereas Inuyasha had been fiercely silent as he raged on in his pursuit for Kagome. They had been chasing after the flailing scent of Naraku and Byakuya for days but still gained no clues to where they had hidden Kagome and Rin.

"Miroku, Rin is with them too."

He nodded his head and closed his eyes. He wondered whether Sesshoumaru was dead, whether Kagome was dead, and whether Rin was dead too. Perhaps, he himself would be dead soon. Would the eventual showdown between them and Naraku come soon? Would he be able to grasp a little control over his fate, and would Kazaana ever disappear from his right hand? Somewhere in his selfish heart, Miroku wished that he could retrace his path and never got himself involved with this from the beginning.

"I know." He looked at the prayer beads around his right wrist and gobbled down the tasteless fish. "Inuyasha, you need the energy; please come down and eat something."

The hanyou closed his eyes and balled his fists until his nails could go no deeper.

Inuyasha knew that everyone including himself were tired, but no one complained and he was glad for that. He had not allowed the group to rest unless it was necessary, and he doubted any one of them could anyway. Kagome was still in Naraku's hands, and Inuyasha could not even close his eyes without thinking of her safety. Would she be scared? Would that bastard hurt her? What would Byakuya do to her?

And who would she think of?

Inuyasha scrunched his nose, frowned hard and shook his head. He looked up to the full moon that hung like a gigantic jewel in the sky amidst the thick, red clouds and silently cursed it. He would be delayed until sunrise came and for now, there was nothing he could do other than to wait.

And he hated waiting, for it yielded nothing fruitful other than frustrations and anxiety._ "And many useless vexing thoughts."_

He still could not believe that Kagome was indeed with Sesshoumaru, and they were even on talking terms! And why was Sesshoumaru so protective of her? Why had he tried to kill him again just after a long battle with Chiyo and Byakuya? It was unlike of the taiyoukai to lose his cool, and he wondered whether his Kaze no Kizu had really taken him down. _Not that his death will affect me anyway_, he told himself.

Inuyasha sniffed, squinted his eyes and let out a silent sigh. His sense of sight, smell and hearing were not as good as usual and he hated that too. He looked down at the black hair that pooled on his fire-rat hakamas and the dull blunt nails that rested on Tessaiga; he felt very small, useless and helpless, and even more so when thunder boomed in his human ears.

He thought of how he could not protect nor save Kikyou, how she had fallen down the cliff even though he had held on to her cold clay hand, the hatred and revenge that burned and hissed in her dark, black eyes, and how indifferently she had treated him. Would Kagome be like that too? Had she fallen for Sesshoumaru because he had neglected her? Would she hate him, the way Kikyou did?

Lightning flashed; Miroku and Sango yelled for him to get down.

_No, Kagome is not like that_, Inuyasha closed his eyes, tried to shut out his jumbled thoughts and enjoy this rare reprieve.

Inuyasha would not give up on Kagome no matter what happened, because he simply could not allow the same thing to happen to either of them again. He knew that he could not be with her, but he could not control his love for Kagome too. And as the cold night air rubbed its weight on the tip of his nose, Inuyasha decided that as long as Kagome was safe and sound, nothing else really mattered. He would not ask her any questions, nor doubt her love for him, for he was in no position to do so and he simply did not want to.

"Kagome, wait for me," Inuyasha mumbled to himself and fell asleep thinking of her smiles and voice.

* * *

"Ka...go..me..." 

She jumped, her eyes wide and round as she jerked her head up and froze. Could it be a bakemono!

"...nee ... san..."

Kagome immediately got to her feet and winced a little at the numbing pain that shot through her legs. Had she slept for long?

"Rin!" Her own voice resounded like gongs in the enclosed space and Kagome realized that the room was not big.

"Where are you Rin? Talk to me!" Kagome clutched at her pleated skirt nervously, not daring to move.

"'Nee... san..." The small, fragile voice was almost a whisper now, and she knew that Rin was very, very weak. But she still could not locate her position until an idea struck her mind. Kagome instantly concentrated and willed her ki to her hands; her hands emitted a faint pinkish glow and she waved her hands around, inwardly hoping that she would be able to see Rin and at the same time wondered why she was with her. Were they trapped? Or kidnapped? An intense pain shot through the base of her neck right to the top of her skull, and she recalled that someone had knocked her out.

"Rin!" Kagome noticed the faint outline of the small crouched figure at one corner and rushed to her. When her fingers touched her neck as Kagome tried to lift her up, she realized that her skin was deathly cold and Rin was very heavy, as if there were no more energy left in her.

"Rin..." She could not see the little girl's face and that worried her further. She wanted to ask her what had happened and why was she trapped in this room with her. But she knew that Rin would not be able to answer her. There was also a dense, stank smell in the room and Kagome's eyes widened, _"Shouki!"_

She laid Rin's head against her chest and wrapped her arms around the little one, hoping to give her some warmth and a sense of protection. She knew that the shouki was affecting Rin and wondered whether this was the kind of suffering and death that Naraku wanted them to go through.

_Bastard!_

"Rin, can you hear me?"

The little one shifted a little, and Kagome continued, "Don't breathe too deeply. Relax, I am here with you. Sesshoumaru-sama will come for us soon."

Rin's head dropped and she mumbled, "Yu..kata... dirty..."

Kagome frowned and willed herself not to cry at the despair that surrounded them. She was not even sure whether Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were able to trace down their whereabouts, not to mention the time and hurdles they might take and undergo. And she had to be strong, stronger than before because Rin needed her strength and support.

"Daijoubu, I will clean your yukata for you, Sesshoumaru-sama won't be angry."

Rin wanted to smile, but realized that took too much effort. She was scared, because her body was getting weaker and weaker and she did not understand why. But she knew that her youkai lord would come for her, no matter what.

"Hauru..." Rin's voice barely reached her ears.

The bittersweet smile lifted up the corners of her mouth; she had almost forgotten about this story and it brought a flame of hope to her heart, which seemed to make the hellish silence go away from her mind.

Kagome rubbed Rin's cold arms and whispered, "Ee... Hauru eventually discovered that the pretty teacher was the old evil witch..."

* * *

Sesshoumaru woke up with a jolt and realized that a raw, un-ripened fruit had fallen on his head. He stared angrily at the shiny green, waxed skin of the fruit and wished that it would explode under his venomous stare. He had never been rudely woken up before; and he desperately wanted to continue the nightmare. He wanted to take a better look at the tomb; he had to know who had died! Was it Rin? Was it Kagome? Or was it his own? 

He shut his eyes and frowned as hard as he could, because he knew that dream would not return to him anymore. It was more than just a nightmare to him; like a bad premonition that would not go away unlike the green fruit that lay beside his empty sleeve, which would eventually decay, decompose, or got itself gobbled down someone's throat. The image of the nameless tomb, the sound of Rin's sweet voice, and the heart-wrenching sobs from Kagome hovered before his very eyes and lingered in his mind like an inner ghost that had not been exorcised.

_No_, he opened his eyes and bared his fangs; he would not let any one of them die. He would not allow the dream to materialize. He would not bow down to Fate.

And so he had to move, to go to them, to seek out Naraku.

At that very moment, excruciating pain befell every inch of his body, and he yowled silently. Beads of perspiration trickled behind his ears and tremors coursed through every of his single vein as if there was a mini earthquake happening right inside of him. He felt as if he had been flogged, turned over, beaten and whacked on every bone, flesh, sinew and nerve that he thought had ever existed in his body.

"Tessaiga..." Sesshoumaru hissed vehemently as he recalled the bright, yellow youki that had enveloped his body. Yes, it was the katana that his chichi-ue had given to Inuyasha, instead of him. It was the hanyou who had hurt him this badly; it was him who had lost again.

He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes in pain. Physical pain that wrecked through his body; mental pain that banged against his skull at the newly found memories; emotional pain that hissed and stung like red, hot blood.

It was too much, too much for him to bear, and for the first time in his life, Sesshoumaru wanted to die.

Too many conflicting thoughts, desires, principles fought against each other in his soul and he knew that he would implode if order was not restored.

He needed to save Rin; but he was injured.

He wanted to save Kagome too; but he was not supposed to fall for her.

He wanted to kill Inuyasha; but he knew that she would be devastated.

He wanted to kill himself; but he knew that he was needed.

And what was he supposed to do? What would be the right thing for him to do? And where had his super analytical mind went? Why was it circling around one woman that he knew was beyond his reach? Had he not told himself that when he was still grappling with old memories dribbling back to him then? And who was she to him; and he to her? And where was Rin and Jaken? Toukijin lay depressingly broken by his side, and he had nothing other than Tenseiga's empty saya tucked in his obi.

A loud, long rumble of thunder shook the woods and the flash of ion-friction seemed to part and light up the light-gray skies.

He really hoped the lightning would strike him down for the sins that he had committed and the blood he had shed with his cruel claws.

Heavy raindrops pelted down mercilessly on his body and the green, unripe fruit.

Perhaps the tomb was his own.

* * *

Hello, I'm baaaaaaaaack:D 

I did not think that I would be able to complete Chapter 1 of "Ten Thousand Cranes" so fast, but I happened to sprain my ankle and thus, had buckets of time to rot at home and mull over this. I actually started work quite early, but took a really long time over this chapter. I had chosen to end "Fate" at the juncture whereby things would take a drastic change in the fic (which was supposed to be connected, but I decided that 100K words was too much). I wrote and stopped for so many times, as if my brain was in a traffic jam in Bangkok. Pardon me if this chapter is a little choppy. Also, now that Sesshoumaru has regained his memories, he would revert to his old-self, sort of.

Also, I will be using less Japanese words, because I think its a little awkward for some readers to keep referring to the glossary. My purpose of using the original is because sometimes I think in that way (that happens when you watched subbed animes instead of dubbed animes). When I do use them, its because I can't find a suitable english word to substitute it, or simply because it sounds better that way.

I'm normally not this long-winded (or perhaps I really am!) but I would like to give my thanks to **Parsnip**; she will be beta-ing the whole of "Cranes"! She's the best beta and friend one can have, and I love, love, love her for that. :p

So... Enjoy. Heh. Reviews would be much love for me (and my poor feet)!

Pseudomonas


	2. Chapter 2

**Glossary:**

urusai - noisy/annoying (implied "shut up)

nanda - what? (not polite way of saying it that is)

Inu no Taisho - General of the Dogs (please, this is not his surname)

oni - monster

Meidou Zangetsuha - the newest attack that Takahashi-sensei has bestowed on Sesshoumaru's Tenseiga in the manga recently. Please refer to the manga for more explanation to this attack. I have altered just a little. :)

naruhodo - i see

hanasu - speak

shouki - miasma

-neesan - elder sister

yakusoku - promise

* * *

He felt something nudging at his feet, and his black eyebrows creased a little. Sesshoumaru hated it when Rin tried to wake him up, even though she had only done it once and it was to ask for permission to scout for food. 

"Go away."

Toutousai's eyes bulged out further; the taiyoukai was _that_ commanding in his dreams too? He was tempted to smash his hammer on his black boots but decided that was not the safest manner to approach him. Sesshoumaru was afterall the eldest born of Inu no Taisho, not to mention that he was ialmost/i as powerful as his predecessor. Besides, he did want his head to stay on his shoulders and the Prince of Western Lands was one who would honour his words._ And threats_, the old youkai grudgingly reminded himself.

The irritating nudge came again, and it was more insistent this time round. Sesshoumaru wanted to scold Rin, but he seldom did that and he had no idea why he always talked to her as if she was a sensible and matured human. Perhaps he had always considered her too weak and too _human_, and therefore did not think it appropriate or useful to instruct her in the way inu-youkai did to their offspring.

Nevertheless, his jaws were scraping against each other and his nostrils flared. He seldom slept, and when he did, it was neither peaceful nor dreamless. He could not remember his dreams, but they were often filled with empty voices and whispers calling out for him, as if they were trying to wrap their vengeful souls around his very name and choke it to death. So now that he was having a dreamless sleep, he did not want to get out of it, although he could feel the uncomfortable wetness in his clothing and he dreamily wondered to himself why.

"Rin."

Jaken lowered his head and eyes at the tone of frustration in his voice. He knew what was going on in his youkai lord's mind and must have thought that his 'Rin' would stop her meddlesome antics.

"Oi," Toutousai slung his long hammer over his shoulder and fixed a curious stare at the kappa-youkai standing beside him, although all he could see was his small brown hat. "_'Rin'_?"

Jaken nodded his head tiredly, "He must have thought you were his human ward."

Toutousai scratched his fuzzy chin and looked up to the skies that were partly clouded by dripping leaves and branches, "You mean the small little girl that travels with you guys?"

Jaken nodded again; he did not know what to say when his youkai lord woke up. Would he slice him apart with Toukijin again? For his inability to protect Rin? He was glad beyond description to find the taiyoukai safe and sound, but yet at the same time feared for his life and the punishments that might come. Sesshoumaru-sama was not exactly a lord who tolerated mistakes or repeated offenses.

"Where is she then?" Toutousai was lost, to why Sesshoumaru had called out for her and why Jaken was so depressed about it.  
Jaken was mildly irritated at the old geezer for his lack of analytical skills and swung his dull, green head up, "Rin has been captured by Naraku that monster baka!"

"Ah..." The sword-maker nodded his head and continued, "But that is none of my business. You wake him up."

The pissed-off expression was momentarily thrown off the kappa-youkai's face, "Me? No you do it!"

Toutousai folded his arms and shifted to a more comfortable position on his three-eyed bull, "No."

Jaken stomped Nintoujou onto the muddy ground; he would really get himself killed if he woke up Sesshoumaru-sama, not to mention that he probably would be in a very bad mood after losing to his hanyou brother and with the numerous small wounds and bruises on his body."I can wait. It's you who want to wake him up."

"No, you do it. Unless you don't want Sesshoumaru to get back his Tenseiga."

"You! I can spew fire on your ass!" Jaken waved Nintoujou threateningly at the old geezer's face.

Toutousai frowned and glared at the miniscule youkai, "Don't forget what I make for a living!" His bull mooed.

Jaken swallowed at his puffed-up cheeks but returned with his best glare, although he knew that Toutousai's mouth could probably spew out more fire than his staff. "YOU! I won't do it!"

"Urusai."

The deadpan, cold voice reached their ears and both froze in their positions.

They then slowly turned their heated faces away from each other to the taiyoukai who was still resting under the tree with his eyes shut.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"Sesshoumaru!"

He cracked open one eye and looked drowsily at the intruders. He would have to wake up, good things were not meant to stay long.

Jaken silently gulped at his death-stare, whereas the words died in Toutousai's throat when he saw the taiyoukai's frown.  
Sesshoumaru shut his eyelid and heaved a muted sigh. He could no longer escape reality, or drown himself in his wretched thoughts and past. His present had caught up with him, and there was future to be tackled with. Oh how he wished he could die this very moment! But he could never let his vassals know, for that would be a sign of weakness and defeat, and he did not want others to see him that way at all. He had promised to himself that he would one day die with his pride, honour and dignity intact.  
He then thought to himself how weak and useless he had become recently. Was it because of his love for Kagome? Or his compassion for Rin?

_Chichi-ue would turn in his grave if he knew of the cowardice that plagued my soul_, he mused to himself and without opening his eyes, he spoke.

"Nanda?"

Toutousai was the first to respond, since he brought good news. "Tenseiga is re-forged and ready."

The taiyoukai opened his eyes and saw the glistening green fruit lying at his side, reminding him of the nightmare that he had two nights ago. It irked him to no end that something as insignificant and inanimate as that would mock at him, and he was Sesshoumaru! The future Lord to the Western Lands, the strongest taiyoukai in the whole of Japan, the eldest born of the legendary Inu no Taisho!

Faster than their eyes could register, the pretty unripe fruit was melted with his youki whip and reduced to a sizzling pool of stained white and frothy green. Toutousai and Jaken dropped their jaws at that senseless display of temper and wondered whether Sesshoumaru had woke up on the wrong side of the bed._ Did his pelt tickled his nose then? _Jaken wondered to himself while the taiyoukai stood up in one graceful swish of his damp hakamas and took over the new fang.

"Hmmm," he narrowed his eyes at the clean katana as cubes of light bounced off the glistening, perfectly straight metal.

Toutousai noticed the broken Toukijin and cleared his throat, "Toukijin broke eh?"

Jaken let out a muffled gasp; he did not even notice the evil blade lying beside his youkai lord. Was Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu that powerful! The kappa-youkai stared incredulously at the lifeless, broken Toukijin.

Sesshoumaru did not reply and narrowed his eyes further instead; Tenseiga was telling him things, things that were only meant for the ears of its rightful master, in a unique, strange way that only Sesshoumaru would understand.

"Sesshoumaru-"

Before Toutousai could continue, the taiyoukai spun around and whittled down the trees that were within one mile radius from him with his youki whip. Jaken tightened his grip over Nintoujou and readied himself for battle as a giant mountain oni clumsily lumbered out from the fallen trees. _"Sesshoumaru-sama is injured badly from the fight with that hanyou brat! He might not be able to-" _

_  
WHOOSH!_

_  
_Toutousai's goldfish-like eyes bulged to the maximum while Jaken cocked his head to one side, his thoughts lost with that wind-like whisper. There was a soft blue light from Tenseiga and then the sudden appearance of a bright, blinding disc, which hovered in the skies behind the oni's body. Before Jaken could raise any further questions, the oni's body was cleanly sliced into half at its chest by an unseen force which fell apart loudly onto the soft, rain-soaked ground. The disc then opened up, the way a sleeping eye did, and Jaken shivered a little at the freezing, eerie air that seeped out from the black vacuum.

"I didn't think that you would be able to even open the portal at first try..." Toutousai mumbled to himself while Jaken swiftly turned his pounding head to the old geezer, "Eh?"

Sesshoumaru did not bother to face the sword-maker behind him and turned Tenseiga around in his right hand, inwardly admiring at the power it had unleashed. But what exactly was _that_?

"Toutousai."

The sword-maker jumped at his name and mentally cursed the taiyoukai for being able to instill so much fear with his voice.

"Tenseiga as you have known, is not a common sword and is able to resurrect. Just now what you have performed is an incomplete Meidou Zangetsuha."

Jaken tried to mouth the long name, "Mei..dou.. Zangetsu.. ha..."

Toutousai nodded his head and his eyebrow twitched at the arrogant taiyoukai's rudeness, whose back was still facing him. _He's the same as Inuyasha..._

"A complete and perfect Meidou Zangetsuha opens up the portal to Hell and sends the victim's soul and body to it. It will be a full round circle, unlike the arc that was in the sky just now. And because the Meidou Zangetsuha was incomplete, the oni's body is still here. However, I am impressed that you have grasped the catch of it and-"

"Hmm, naruhodo," Sesshoumaru smirked to himself and continued to gaze lovingly at his inherited fang. He still did not understand why his father had given him Tenseiga but now that it has hidden powers other than just resurrection, the knowledge of it seemed to somewhat restore his pride and that pleased him greatly. He would no longer lose to that hanyou brat since Tenseiga was now a real weapon, and perhaps even more powerful than Tessaiga in its own right since it could be used in both offensive and defensive ways.

Toutousai clicked his tongue at being rudely interrupted and ignored, while Jaken trembled a little at the newly forged Tenseiga. Would he be the first guinea pig, after he had broke the news to him? His youkai lord was more powerful than before and he was sure that it would not be long before the taiyoukai mastered Meidou Zangetsuha perfectly. He had heard from Myouga that Sesshoumaru was a genius and fast-learner when he was young, although his heart was not in accordance with what his father had hoped for. Jaken was torn in between his two different wishes when Sesshoumaru called for him again.

"Jaken."

The kappa-youkai immediately straightened up with a grave look on his face, "Hai Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"Bring Ah-Un, we will look for Rin," Sesshoumaru sheathed Tenseiga back into its saya and walked straight ahead.

Jaken was stunned for a moment; his youkai lord had not reprimanded him nor took his head. Toutousai flared his nostrils at his thankless departure and left on his three-eyed bull without another word. _"Ingrates!"_

"Jaken"Jaken was shaken out from his stupor as a stone hit squarely on his forehead; but he did not dare to show the skull-smattering pain on his face and quickly got to his feet. "Ha.. Hai Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Sesshoumaru paused for a while as he heard his retainer yelling orders at the draconic beast, and looked up to the translucent, white skies. There was not even a single cloud nor birds that might obscure his view, and he felt his heart as still and clear as the heavens above. He knew what he had to do, and what he could not do. He knew where his priorities laid, and where her priorities were.

He lowered his head and resumed on his way, with a wild gleam in his eye as he thought of his human ward under ithat/i hanyou-bastard's captive. And her, too. Although their boundaries would not touch each other's again, he knew that he would eventually cross her paths one day, and she his. During the short period of time that he had to himself after the fight, Sesshoumaru came to the wonderful realization that the world worked in ways that oppose him. Therefore he shall embrace it whole-heartedly, since he had already lost control over his inner 'world' a long time ago when Kagome stepped into his life.

_  
"I will come for you soon, wait for me."_

* * *

"Inuyasha?" Sango crouched on Kirara and jerked her head to one side. 

The red-clad hanyou had skidded to an abrupt halt and was sniffing at the air, hungrily yet cautiously at the same time.

"Is it Naraku's scent?" Miroku steadied himself on Kirara while Shippou looked hopefully at their leader.

Inuyasha scrunched his nose and narrowed his golden eyes; he recognized this scent and turned his face to the far right. The rest of his group followed his action and soon, a familiar figure in white walked out of the dense woods, followed by a small greenish-brown blob and a two-headed dragon-like youkai.

Miroku, Sango and Shippou tensed. Now was a very, very bad moment for the two inu-brothers to bump into each other. The monk silently lamented to the Heavens for their lack of luck; the taijiya thanked God that Sesshoumaru was not dead since she suspected that Kagome might be upset if he did; while the kitsune put a paw to his slightly feverish head and thought a real headache was coming on.

Inuyasha merely stood his ground and balled his fists. He knew that his youkai-brother could smell him but yet he continued to walk on as if nothing had happened. He was not surprised that the bastard was not dead and thought for a while on what he should do. Inuyasha knew that Tenseiga would protect Sesshoumaru from him and he would probably still walk on the face of earth even when he himself was buried six foot under ground.

He would not challenge him to a battle again, since that would be a stupid thing to do now. But he had to be sure, and state his grounds too. And with that thought in his mind, Inuyasha ran to Sesshoumaru, to no one's surprise. Still, his feudal companions had to follow and while Shippou muttered something intelligible to himself, Sango frowned.

Miroku was the only one who said anything, since he would have to be the emotional and mental support until Kagome was back, provided that she was still alive and in one piece.

"Inuyasha! Don't be reckless!"

The hanyou ignored the monk and stretched out his arms as he blocked his half-brother's way.

Sesshoumaru let out a much-controlled breath through his nostrils; if it was not for Kagome, he would have broke his ribcage, grabbed for the hanyou's heart and pushed his claws into it, relishing and delighting in each and every action with utmost, twisted joy.

But because she dwelled in his heart, he knew that temperance was needed and he did not want to break her heart, no matter what. He halted to a smooth stop, to which Jaken and Ah-Un followed obediently and fixed his gaze on the stormy-blue mountains far behind the hanyou's head.

Inuyasha let his arms hang by his side and looked down, not knowing what to say for a moment now that Sesshoumaru was silent and... peaceful. He was so used to provoking his brother, and being egged on by him, that the silence between them now was awkward and odd, like a heavy stage curtain that separated their worlds from each other.

The rest of them waited with heavy abated breath, not daring to move although every strand of muscle were tensed up and ready for battle if anything, _anything_ flew or flashed by. The tension in the air was akin to the calm before a raging storm, as if the barometric pressure had fallen beyond comfort and was squeezing the air out from their lungs too.

Sesshoumaru waited until a particular, shapeless cloud made its way pass a mountain peak and proceeded on his way as if nothing had happened, even though he could almost hear the curdling noises that his blood made and smell the scent of Inuyasha's blood on his claws.

Inuyasha looked up, feeling a bit lost and called out.

"Sesshoumaru."

The taiyoukai stopped his feet and shut his eyelids, trying to dispel the twitch that seemed to be around everywhere; in his fingers, behind his eyes, at the back of his mind and in the middle of his throat. He knew that Inuyasha would stop him, and he had hoped that he would not.

Now he wished that the control he had learnt and internalized for so many centuries would not fail him.

Inuyasha allowed his eyes to drop to Sesshoumaru's feet, suddenly feeling like a small boy before his elder brother. He was angry, frustrated, lost and helpless. And it was all over a woman. He frowned and struggled to get the jumbled-up words out of his mouth.

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes and wished that the mountains before him would explode, since that might offer some form of relief for the frustration, irritation, disgust and hatred that was building inside his chest.

"Hanasu."

Inuyasha fumbled, "I.. I..." Great, now he felt as if he had done something wrong and had to admit his heinous crimes to his brother.

The taiyoukai had never been made to wait before and he promised to himself that such a thing would never happen again. Sesshoumaru took in a deep gulp of air and exhaled slowly, although none behind him could see that he was on the verge of killing the hanyou. The barometric pressure dropped further.

"You were never that hesitant before with your filthy mouth, _hanyou_."

That was it. Inuyasha snapped and jumped to Sesshoumaru's front. They were only a metre apart and both brothers thought that if they raised their swords, it would stab right through each other's hearts.

"Kagome is mine," Inuyasha raised his head and looked straight into the very same golden irises.

The rest hiccuped, and Jaken took an additional step back warily.

Sesshoumaru stared back at his half-brother's eyes for a long while but his lips did not even move a fraction. Then he walked away and Inuyasha's eyes widened; what was that supposed to mean? Did he understood, or did he not? Or nothing went into his canine skull at all?

Inuyasha instantly unsheathed Tessaiga and Sesshoumaru spun around at the sound of it, with Tenseiga expertly held in his right hand at the angle that would make a neat, clean, and lethal slash across his brother's throat.

Ah-Un grunted, Kirara growled, Miroku gasped, Sango let out a small scream, Shippou jumped while Jaken sweated.

Inuyasha lowered his eyes at the blade of Tenseiga, which was only but a few inches away from his neck and blocked by the bigger, curved blade of Tessaiga. He twisted Tessaiga's hilt and Tenseiga was immediately swung at the other side of his neck, dangerously resting at his collarbone. The hanyou instantly made a grab for Tenseiga with bare hands to which Sesshoumaru swiftly drew it back, not wanting the hanyou's hands to dirty its blade.

"Sesshoumaru! What is the meaning of this! Tenseiga cannot kill!" Inuyasha barked as both hands tightened their grip over Tessaiga's hilt.

The taiyoukai smirked and narrowed his eyes as he lifted the slim katana up into the sky, "We shall see hanyou."

Inuyasha could not understand what he was saying and reverted back to his topic, "Did you hear me! Kagome is mine alone, I will save her!"

Sesshoumaru's gaze froze on the shining blade and his irises narrowed to slits. He wanted to say that Kagome was never his, that her heart belonged to him and him only, and that he had never, ever considered Inuyasha as a threat or love rival before. But the promises he made to himself came back to his mind as the sunlight bounced from the clean, sharp blade into his eyes. Sesshoumaru lowered his inherited fang and with one liquid, well-practised move, slid Tenseiga back into its saya.

"Rin is my only purpose," he then walked away while Ah-Un and Jaken quickly scrambled after their master.

The tension vanished, the barometric pressure rose back to normal levels and air returned to their deprived lungs. Miroku hopped down from Kirara and walked up to his hanyou friend.

"Inuyasha, let's rest for tonight."

The hanyou stared into the ground as Tessaiga transformed back to its battered shape, not knowing what to say for a long while until Miroku placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Kagome-sama will be fine."

The hanyou shrugged off his hands and for once did not swear at his friends.

"Aa."

* * *

"Rin? Rin?" Kagome shook her face lightly and frowned. The girl had been slipping in and out of consciousness too often and Kagome was worried that if this continued on, Rin would not survive. They needed food, water and fresh air. She herself was hungry and tired beyond description but she knew that she would be alright, since she had often go without food and sleep in her pursuit after the Shikon no Tama with Inuyasha and her feudal friends. 

Or at least, that was what she thought so.

Kagome tried to summon her ki to her hands, but she could not feel the energy flowing in her veins nor see the faint pink light that it normally produced. She swore softly to herself and tried again; the warmth came to her cold, pale hands but before she could catch a better glimpse of Rin's face, it went out.

"Naraku you bastard!" Kagome screamed into the dark space above her head, knowing that Rin would not wake up at that. The shouki in the room was not strong, but it was siphoning her miko aura and energy away, bit by bit. It was a slow but sure death, as the shouki continued to worm its way into her body, while hopelessness dug into her soul, eating her inside out. Perhaps Inuyasha would not come for her; she had afterall betrayed him. Perhaps Sesshoumaru would not be able to find her, since she did not even know whether he was alive or not, if Rin was captured and taken away from him. Kagome could not even estimate the period that they had been locked up in this prison, since she could see no sun nor moon.

She felt as if the flame of her life would be extinguished soon.

A loud, creaking noise shook her out from her dreadful thoughts and before she knew it, bright blinding light flooded the enclosed space that held her and Rin captive. For a moment, Kagome thought that he had come for her and tried to open her eyes as warmth gushed in like a sweet summer breeze.

There was silence for a long while and as her irises finally adjusted to the amount of sunlight, Kagome noticed that there was a person standing at what seemed like a door-frame, far away from her. She then realized that they were indeed in a rectangular-shaped room, and the space in front of her seemed to stretch on forever.

"Sesshoumaru? Inuyasha?" Her own voice quivered.

The dark figure flap-closed his paper fan and laughed, "They have not found their way here yet."

Kagome's heart plummeted at his voice, she knew that it was Byakuya.

The illusionist youkai conjured up a wooden tray of food which dropped with a loud rattle in front of Kagome and the unconscious Rin.

"I can't have you die yet you know,_ until_ they come."

"They will come for us!" Kagome retorted fiercely.

"Ho? We shall see. This will also be your New Year dinner, by the way." Byakuya ended his sentence with a laugh and slammed the door shut.

The warmth and sunlight that the females so desperately needed was instantly cut off and Kagome wanted to cry. But she was too tired and weak to even cry, and knew that they needed food before the shouki did un-repairable things to their bodies. She tried to wake Rin up by slapping her face, "Rin.. Rin..."

The little one shifted in her lap, although she could not open her eyes, "Huh...?"

Kagome tried to reach for the food with her trembling hands and after some struggle, finally managed to scoop what seemed like rice into her dirty hands and placed it near Rin's mouth.

"Eat, Rin eat. You need the energy."

The little one opened her mouth and tried to chew on the hard rice; it seemed half-cooked. Kagome scooped some into her mouth and although the rice was not much, she felt a little stronger and felt for the tray again. There was a small oblong object that she recognized it to be her own water-bottle.

"Bastard," she cursed again and tried to lift Rin. After so many days without food, Her own arms were shaking under Rin's weight and she feared for a moment that she might not even be able to move her. But Kagome finally got her to sit up and managed to get some of the much-needed cool water into her dry mouth; although Rin sucked so hard on the mouth of the waterbottle until she almost choked. Kagome had to pull the bottle away before she drank everything and left nothing for her. When all the rations had been exhausted, Kagome laid Rin down onto her numbed, seemingly dead legs and rubbed the girl's arms, trying to warm her up a bit.

"-neesan..."

"Hmm?" Kagome turned her face away and coughed. The cold seemed to have seep into her chest, and she felt hungrier and thirstier than ever too.

"Just now... there was light... Rin felt warm..."

Kagome nodded her head and leaned her forehead against the little one's, "Sleep Rin."

"Sesshou... maru-sama... Rin dreamt of him..."

Kagome really wanted to cry; for all they knew, it could be their last meal before they die. And it was New Year already. She missed her friends and family terribly, and the ache in her chest tickled her throat. She turned her face away and coughed harder.

"Sesshoumaru-sama will definitely come and save us, yakusoku," Kagome took in a deep breath and choked a little on the shouki-tainted air. She could not see her face, but Kagome guessed that Rin smiled, whose head sank further into her lap and indicated that she had passed out again.

The dying miko leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, for only then she would be able to see Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. The world within her eyes was still bright; she could still smell the scent of sunlight and feel the coolness of breeze in her mind. She could hear Sesshoumaru's snort and Inuyasha's yell, Sango's slap and Miroku's sigh.

Somehow, her memories of them had given her a silent strength which had helped her to last till now. She would be able to continuously draw what hope she could from their presence in her heart, until her mind failed or betrayed her. Kagome worried for the sanity of her soul, and it was a fear that reached deep into the farthest, darkest regions of her heart.

What if they would not come? Would she really die alone like this?

The promises that _he_ and _him_ once gave her rang in her ears and Kagome smiled at their frowning faces. Her world was getting darker and the familiar white and red figures were fading away fast.

"Yakusoku, Rin..." Her breath evened out and she too slipped into the Land of Dreams.

* * *

Jaken stood quietly by the fire that he had built, while the draconic beast lazed at the far back, with Ah or Un occasionally lifting their heads and looking around. It seemed to the kappa-youkai that it was not only the beast that missed Rin. 

Sesshoumaru had been experimenting with the reforged Tenseiga the whole day as they walked on _almost_ silently and aimlessly. He had not dared to ask his youkai lord where they were heading and assumed that they were on the trail of Naraku's scent. What disturbed him was the peacefulness that they had somewhat enjoyed, as if Rin had not been kidnapped and nothing major had ever happened. And the wild gleam in his eyes everytime Jaken managed to catch a sight of his lord's face made his skin crawl.

The fact that he was unhurried, not angry and relaxed, worried Jaken deeply. He feared for his youkai lord's sanity, and wondered whether Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu had hurt his brain as well. Coupled that with the weird questions that Sesshoumaru had thrown him there and then, Jaken was troubled. Very troubled.

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru drew a few arcs in the sky and paused to hear the ringing of the blade.

The kappa-youkai straightened up and replied carefully, "Hai Sesshoumaru-sama!"

The taiyoukai turned over the slim blade and closed his eyes, wondering how he was going to tap into the unknown resource of knowledge that Tenseiga held. "What flowers did Rin like to pick?"

Jaken's bulbous yellow eyes widened for a moment at his master's sturdy, lean back; _that_ was another weird question.

"Ano... I think Rin like all sorts of flowers."

A stone met his head, and Jaken's world spun for a good while.

Sesshoumaru lifted the fang near his ears; _Rin surely has a preference._

Jaken got up to his feet and rubbed the sore spot while he thought hard. "Ano... I think she likes daisy more."_ Since they are everywhere...  
_

The taiyoukai pursed his lips and gazed at the metal, "Daisy."

Jaken nodded his head, "That seems to be the answer to this Jaken. But she honestly picks all kind of flowers that come her way..."

Another stone greeted his forehead. Jaken feared for his physical safety sometimes.

_Rin likes daisies_, Sesshoumaru swung Tenseiga in the air again, marvelling at the weight and the balance that it held on its own. It was truly a perfect katana, a precious heirloom that he had failed to see for its value before. _So how do I use you?_

"Gomen nasai Sesshoumaru-sama! Jaken really thinks that Rin _love_ daisies! She is always telling me how much she wants to give you even though I tell her not to!"

The taiyoukai paused in his move and a soft glaze fell over his eyes. _She wanted to give me daisies_, he talked to the fang again.

_Ah..._ Tenseiga let out a sigh in his ears.

"What was her favourite colour?"

Jaken covered his head with his webbed hands, "White and red?"

The corners of his mouth curled up, and the shadows of the night swayed with his smile. "Why?"

Jaken mumbled something; and he sent another stone that almost took out the air from his small lungs. Jaken swiftly sat up and massaged his bruised chest, "Rin.. once asked me if there were any red daises and I said no. She then concentrated on plucking the white daises because she said that you are composed of white and red..."

Tenseiga sang to the joy in his heart, and Sesshoumaru's smile widened.

_Yes, perhaps I might be able to open the portal next time._

* * *

Lo and behold, here is Chapter 2! (I really need to stop being so silly) 

I love Sesshoumaru's new attack. Isn't it so cool? When Takahashi-sensei invented Meidou Zangetsuha, I knew that my love for Tenseiga was not in vain. :) And oh, I kind of like the last part. I really wanted to touch on the relationship between Sesshoumaru and Rin, from his POV. Inuyasha will play a bigger role in "Cranes" with Sesshoumaru and Kagome, simply because I love him in a brotherly way. And much love to Parsnip for looking through this (she has a way of sorting out the kinks in my mind). This chapter is for all of you who adore Tenseiga!

To all my reviewers for "The Unexpected Twist of Fate" & "Ten Thousand Cranes" (you know who you are!), Im so happy and glad that you guys bothered to review! Im not a person good with words (they make me look hypocritical me thinks) so thank you!

Pseudomonas


	3. The Darknest Night

**Glossary:**

gomen - sorry (casual)

saa - slang term, meaning 'so', 'well'

ookami - wolf

ikuzo - slang term, meaning "let's go'

Shikon no kakkera - shikon shards

* * *

She felt something sliding up her cheeks; it was warm, smooth and gentle. And then she heard laughter; it was soft, throaty and mocking. 

Was it him?

Kagome strived to open her heavy eyes, but yet a big portion of her was worried that it might not be him. Perhaps she was still in a dream? Because if it was, she did not want to wake up, for fear that Sesshoumaru might disappear like mist if she blinked.

"Kagome."

The voice that reached her ears was different though; it was too silky, too soft and too gentle to be him. Her eyelids twitched a little when the person called out for her again; it sounded vaguely familiar, yet she could not recall who he was. The finger slowly made its way up to the bridge of her nose, and further up until it rested firmly on the piece of flat bone between her closed eyes.

"Kagome."

A jolt of pain shot through her head as the finger tapped on it once. It was as if a transient bolt of lightning had passed through her skin, through her skull and right into her inner core. But it vanished as fast as it had come, and she opened her eyes in shock, wondering whether that was real or not.

He grinned, knowing that her human eyes could not focus in the darkness and spoke again.

She swiftly turned her head to the left; a pair of crimson eyes were looking in her direction, and they glowed sharply, like the distant, deserted neon lights at the end of the straight road.

It took her a second to recognize who it was and her gasp _almost_ died in her dry throat, leaving behind a muffled, strangled shriek.

Even though she could not see his face, she knew who he was. She could feel his predatory youki, expanding and contracting with his breathing, dancing around him like blood-red ribbons, twirling carelessly in the midnight sky. It was different from Byakuya's; his youki felt as if it was loaned, a passing shadow, a perfect replicate, like the angry waves that crashed upon the helpless shores, but not the sea itself.

And sitting before her was the source, the origin, the raging tumultuous sea itself. His youki curled its tentacle-like ribbons around her waning aura, peacefully and lazily like a confident, patient cobra surrounding its prey.

"Naraku," Kagome mouthed hoarsely.

The grin turned into a smile when he saw the shock in her eyes and heard his name on her lips. The Kagome before was a strong-minded, powerful and stubborn miko, and he could remember very clearly the sparkle of indignation, justice and hatred in her eyes when they battled. But the very same female who had once challenged him, now with her back against the unmoving wall, had become a very delectable creature. Her eyes were wide and lost, her fear and helpless were tempting him to go near her, to run his tongue across the crook of her slender neck, for the sweet, dark taste of her dwindling innocence and crumbling sanity.

But he would not, for there are other ways to break a person, and Kagome was also a female like Kikyou, who sometimes surprised him in not-so-nice ways. It was _almost_ impertinent to maintain a certain physical distance from them. Besides, he considered himself a kind person and would try softer tactics with her first, since the purity of her soul remained to be of certain importance to him.

"Good, you have not lost your mind yet," his dark smile remained, and she could _feel_ it.

Kagome dug her fingers into Rin's cotton yukata and inwardly recoiled; the blood-ribbons of his youki snaked in closer.

"What... what do you want?" Her mind was blank yet focused.

He inched his face forward, "A deal, Kagome. I want to make a deal with you."

She blinked her eyes and smacked her cracked lips, "Deal..?"

Naraku's lips parted in a serpent-like smile, "Aa... A deal, in exchange for your life, and hers."

Kagome let out a heavy, strained breath; she wanted her freedom, and Rin needed her youkai lord. But she was no fool, whatever deal that he was offering could not be a good one.

_Still..._

The images of colourful green fields, wild lush forests, cool rushing streams and smoking straw huts rushed into her mind and disappeared, the way precious water trickle through deep, hungry sand. She was alone, all alone in this vast graveyard of dead and waste and darkness and coldness and-

"They will come soon, your friends. And your _lovers_."

Her head snapped up at the last word; he could feel a sudden spike in her miko aura, but continued to wrap his youki around her flagging soul.

"Inuyasha, and Sesshoumaru... they will come, eventually. To save you and her."

A wave of emotions rose up in her chest the way flowers blossom and long for the warm sun.

"Or... will they not come?"

The flowers wilted under the black of the night, and her aura swirled tardily and heavily around like her soul like mercury.

"Give me your eyes, direct me to the rest of the Shikon no kakkera," his smile morphed flawlessly into a smirk when he saw her despondent facial expression. Naraku wondered amusingly if he would make a expert strategist, interrogator or tactician if he was a human.

Kagome's blank gaze drooped and her hand went up to touch Rin's head. She could not feel anything other than the numbing coldness; had her fingers went dead too?

She closed her eyes; her heart was definitely not dead, yet. In fact, she could feel the aching pain when Naraku suggested that Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha might not come for her, and the ice-cold pain when she tried to reason out _why_. She knew that Naraku was playing a mind game with her; she could feel his serpent tail coiling tighter and tighter around her body, while his tentacles strove to delve into her mind. But she felt as if all her strength had been drained through his sieve of poisonous words and there was no way for her to defend herself, not to even mention fighting back.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" She asked helplessly, because she had to have an answer.

Naraku paused as he traced his long finger down the sides of her face to the artery under her cold, clammy neck. She was like an open book to him, and he was flipping, choosing, and tearing out the pages one by one.

"Why?"

Kagome nodded. But he was not going to give her an answer.

His lips thinned, "_If_, they come, I will kill one of you."

Her eyes flew open at his threat; she would not allow Rin to be that sacrifice! The ribbons of his youki loosened a fraction at her righteous anger and he narrowed his eyes; he had found her weak spot. He stroked her throbbing artery lazily.

"I have not decided who... But that can be avoided if you yield to me, your soul that is," his words dripped black, tar-like hope that seeped into her ears and drowned out Rin's wheezy breathing.

Her eyelids drooped at his promise. She would be able to save Rin and get her out from this living hell if she succumbed to him. But, was it a good idea, and a permanent solution? What would happen to her feudal friends? What would happen if Naraku got hold of the complete jewel? Would this amend history? Kagome dared not think further than that.

"Kill me," her voice was determined, resolute and firm. "I'll never give you my soul."

His eyebrows quirked up lightly at her sudden statement, the glow in his red eyes intensified at her refusal to yield. Naraku knew that he would not kill her, because he needed her 'eyes' and even if she persisted and escaped, she would serve as a un-mendable bridge between the two inu-brothers. A constant source of distraction and jealousy, since the last thing he wanted was for them to have a common goal and work together _against_ him. Naraku let his finger drop, which slid sensually down the smooth plane of her neck to her collarbone.

Kagome did not flinch and repeated herself, "Kill me, now." She would rather be dead than to be a manipulated puppet. She would not dishonour her friends, or _him_.

He further narrowed his eyes until she almost could not see the cold, searing gleam. He reminded himself that he was a kind person, even though his human heart was still somewhere else with Mouryoumaru. He would allow the little one to live, as long as Kagome submitted herself to him. Perhaps, this was not enough; perhaps, he could make her hell worser, he thought.

He removed his finger and licked the tip of it gingerly; it was sweet, bitter and salty at the same time, and he wondered what her power, fear and despair would taste like.

"We shall see, Kagome. Think about my proposal, before time runs out for her."

Kagome pulled Rin to her, hoping to get her away from him as much as possible. She could almost _feel _his fangs baring at them, the viscous saliva dripping off the razor-sharp edges as they closed in on her head. The tail seemed to snake its way up her sweater, and she felt a shiver crawl down her spine the way spiders did. She was immersed in his sea of youki, drowning in the murky, unfathomable depths of it. Time seemed to have stalled, and her fingers dug deep into Rin's yukata again, for a semblance of an anchor that she so desperately needed.

"Three days, and I will return for your answer."

Without warning, his youki receded as if the lid to her skies had flown opened and the second-hand started to tick again. Icy, shouki-tainted air returned to her bursting lungs, and Kagome arched her neck up with an abrupt gasp before she slumped forward unconscious, head crashing against Rin's shoulders.

Naraku left the dilapidated hut with a small frown on his forehead. He had not won; but he was confident that she would soon lose. There was only so much a human soul could bear, afterall.

* * *

Miroku never knew that the crackling sounds from fire could be so sleep-inducing. He squeezed his eyes shut hard, hoping to drive away the fatigue that had plagued him for so many days. He turned his face to the right; Sango's usually fair and bright skin was now ashen gray and her eyes looked positively dead. Shippou was already knocked out, snuggled against Kirara's belly and he was thankful that he would not have to address the kitsune's worries for a good while. 

Or at least until Inuyasha barked at them.

"Inuyasha, where are we going next?" Miroku looked at the hanyou, who looked equally worn-out too.

He shrugged his shoulders and stared into the fire. Miroku rubbed his hands and placed them near the fire; spring still felt oddly cold to him and he attributed the reason to the possible loss of Kagome and the current mood of the group.

"But we can't go on like this for long. Sooner or later, one of us will break down and because we are all worried for Kagome-sama, we are pushing ourselves too hard... We need to find a better way to track down Naraku," Miroku closed his eyes; sometimes he wished that he could get some news. Any information would be good; even Kagome's death.

_ Yes, even that too_, Miroku looked away guiltily; he knew that he was the most selfish one among their group. He thought about the Kazaana in his right hand and about their uncertain future. It was not that he did not love Kagome the way he loved his friends. No, it was not that.

"I know! I don't need you to tell me that," Inuyasha growled softly and looked away too, because he could not think of a better idea.

Miroku sighed; the same conversation was being held at every dinner and yet, no one could come up with a plan other than to follow Inuyasha blindly. But he could not blame him, since he himself was equally worried and if it had happened to Sango, he might end up as a nervous wreck.

"I'm sure we'll be able to pick up some clues as we go along," Sango tried to reassure both males and herself. "What do you think Sesshoumaru is doing? Maybe we should go with him, since he's looking for Rin too."

Miroku's violet eyes widened and he pounded his right fist into the other, "Yes! Why did I not think of that!"

"Why is everyone looking up to Sesshoumaru! Am I not better than him! Go to him then!" Inuyasha jumped to his feet and glared at his feudal pals. Both taijiya and monk realized their unintentional mistake and swallowed.

"Gomen Inuyasha, I don't mean that way, just that-" Sango's words were cut off when Inuyasha stormed away into the deep woods again.

Miroku put his head into his hands and sighed out loud. Was their group going to break up before they could even find Kagome? Or perhaps they would die at Naraku's hands and not find out whether their dear friend was alive or not. His dreams of dangling grandchildren by the thighs seemed so faraway, so impossible.

"Houshi-sama... will he be alright?" Sango frowned.

Miroku looked up and tried to smile, "He'll be fine. We've been together for the past three years and I'm sure he understands us."

The taijiya nodded her head and let out another sigh; they had been stretched so thin and wide that she was pretty sure their bodies would give out before their minds did. Sango crawled over to Kirara and took her sleeping position beside her warrior pet, "Houshi-sama, get some rest before he's back."

* * *

Naraku let out a seemingly-fatherly smile as he pushed a small Shikon no kakkera into the wound. 

"Saa, wake up."

Her eyelashes fluttered a little, and the black in her hair changed to a pale green colour. Red returned to her lips and skin, the wounds on her body started to close and heal, and her powers started to gather, bit by bit as she finally opened her eyes.

He stretched out a helping hand, "You have one more task."

Byakuya silently crouched in one corner.

* * *

Inuyasha gritted his teeth and kept his stare solely on his bare dirty feet as he strode past thin and thick trees, sparse undergrowth, alarmed grasshoppers and crickets. 

A week had passed, and he still could not locate the whereabouts of Naraku or Kagome.

He braked to a sudden halt and stood there silently as the possibility of Kagome's death became very, very real. Naraku had never kept prisoners for that long, in secret that was. Kohaku and Rin had been kidnapped by him before, but his agenda had often been distraction and diversion from his real goal. Inuyasha retraced the past events as the frightened grasshoppers somewhat settled down; Kanna had been killed, Chiyo was dead, and Sesshoumaru... that pompous bastard acted weirdly. It was obvious that Naraku had a hand in all these, but he had no idea what had exactly happened until they arrived with Kirara. Try as he might, Inuyasha could not figure out the _rea_l motive to why Byakuya had abducted Kagome and Rin.

And, he was dying to know what had transpired between Sesshoumaru and Kagome, during the time that she had 'returned' back home. He would not doubt her loyalty to him, but ironically, he wanted to know. The tiniest sliver of fear of her plausible betrayal hung at the back of his mind like a cautious spider and he really wanted to shred the dreadful web of worries.

_She loves me, and I love her. She loves me and I love her,_ the oblivious hanyou chanted to himself silently as creatures of the night stilled their incessant movements.

"Argh!"

Inuyasha smacked his palm against his forehead and partially covered his eyes as his head hung low; he felt like crying. He hated to feel so weak, and so defenseless against the onslaught of his fear, despair and helplessness. Time was ticking by and with each minute and hour gone, the chances of Kagome staying alive went down proportionally. The only thing he could do was to _find_ her, rescue her, get her out and away from that monster's hands.

And he failed, even at that. What good was it to be a youkai if he could not even figure out where Kagome was!

Sango's and Miroku's words echoed in his ears again and he wondered what Sesshoumaru was doing to find Rin. Did he have problems too? Or was he steadily making progress with his superior full-youkai senses? Inuyasha let out a soft groan and slumped his shoulders as his hands hung straight beside his hunched body. Deep in his heart, he knew that he was inferior to the taiyoukai; be it in combat, mind, tactics, or self-control because _he_ was a full youkai and he was not.

Sesshoumaru was the rightful son; whereas he was a bastard who never even got to see his father. He, with his legendary father's blood running in half of his body could not even acknowledge Inu no Taisho as his predecessor.

The abrupt, eerie silence of the night did not strike Inuyasha as odd and he continued to be entrenched within his thoughts.

But, Kagome had changed all that; she had taken away all of his inferiority, re-built his self-esteem and confidence in himself and others. Now that she was not around, he felt really small, bitter and... ugly. Kagome had given him her smiles, her faith, her life, and most importantly, her undivided, whole-hearted love. Hope was always with him, because she was beside him. When Kagome almost died from Mukotsu's poison, he did everything he could to save her and his friends even though he did not have the antidote.

Inuyasha remembered his trembling hands as he tried to warm her cold hands and her face, and the orange yolk of the sunset which signified her impending death. He knew that he would have lost her there and then, if not for Myouga who had sucked out most of their poisoned blood. And it seemed to him he might lose Kagome again for a second time. The woman who personified hope and life to him might be dead by now.

He squeezed his eyes shut and frowned hard; this was going nowhere. Perhaps he should swallow his pride and seek out Sesshoumaru, for Kagome's sake. This was not the time to feel pathetic and selfish and small and-

Inuyasha swung his head up and his lips parted slightly; the scent of old mud and clay infiltrated his nose along with the fresh, clean scent of the spring night air.

"Inuyasha."

The voice was so twinkling soft that it broke his heart.

He turned around and there, standing right before him was Kikyou, with her Shinidama Chuu hovering behind her like chaperones.

"Ki.. Kikyou..." His eyebrows drooped to the side in a slight frown as the undead woman slowly made her way towards him. All worries and thoughts about Kagome instantly flew out from his mind like birds from cages.

Kikyou did not stop walking until their chests were only a breath's inch away from each other. She cocked her head slightly to one side and regarded the pained expression on his face; if she had a heart, she knew that it would bleed and break. She lifted her right hand and smoothed her artificial thumb over his left cheek; she had once done that before, when he held her in his arms over fifty odd years ago. When they were both alive, when she had nothing but love for him, and when she wanted nothing but for them to be together, forever.

Somewhere in her debased mind, she laughed sardonically at herself for recalling this memory.

Inuyasha had not changed much; he was warm and strong and solid as he looked straight into her own eyes. She wondered what he would see in there; the remnants of her never dying love for him? The ashes of her once pure love for him? Or her white-hot burning hatred that had stemmed from his betrayal? She knew that the whole thing had been instigated and planned by Naraku, but she had died with that pain and hurt, died with the knowledge that Inuyasha had turned his back on her and no matter what he did, she knew that all these would remain with her for as long as she desecrated the face of the earth.

Sometimes, sometimes, Kikyou wished that she could let go of him, too.

Inuyasha wrapped his hand over her cold one and pulled her to him with the other. He did not care whether she was out to kill him, to push a dagger straight into his heart, or to make use of him. He knew that she was not Kagome, and Kagome was not her, and even though they were two different individuals, they were also the very same person to him.

He did not want to think about them as two different people; they shared the same soul, they shared the same face, and they both loved him deeply. Inuyasha tightened his grip, both around her cold hand and her stiff shoulders and willed himself not to cry. He wanted to seek solace from Kikyou, for that somewhat resemblance of the hug that he once had with Kagome, and the comfort that both women unknowingly and selflessly offered him.

Inuyasha knew that deep down in his heart, he did not want to lose Kikyou too.

"Kikyou..." He uttered her name, because he wanted to say nothing else.

She closed her eyes, cautiously leaned forward and rested her clay body against her beloved. She had not expected to see him, what more all alone and obviously in pain in the middle of this quiet woods. She contemplated on leaving him by himself, but his presence always called out to the inner depths of her incomplete soul. She wanted to see him, no matter how much she hated him. She had wanted to, wanted to do so many things with him, and for him.

And now that he was holding her so gently and possessively, she thought that she could feel his love for her. As if Time had rewound itself, and they were nothing more than a common, simple miko and a wandering, aimless hanyou. She could walk down the dead streets of her memory, back into the past and run away from Death in her mind.

"Inuyasha, you are in pain," her voice was so very soft and caressing, because he _was_ always so angry and so hurt.

He did not acknowledge nor respond, and just held her tightly as he buried his face into her shoulders.

For a long while, they remained in standing embrace as she drowned herself in past memories. How they had met, how they fell in love with each other, how they had promised their lives to each other... It then dawned on her as to why he was so upset and abruptly pushed him away. She would not be made use of, would not be a substitute for her reincarnation, and would not contend with sharing his heart with another.

"You think of her," she stepped back and said coldly; a hint of bitterness hung at the tip of her tongue.

Inuyasha opened his mouth, wanting to say something but decided against it.

Kikyou not only saw pain in his golden eyes, but his helplessness and fragility. She narrowed her eyes and remained silent. p "I don't want to lose you, either," the hanyou said numbly as his gaze was lowered to the grass.

She blinked and turned her face away, "Naraku has her."

He nodded his head like a manipulated wooden puppet. She wanted to laugh outright at that.

But both said nothing and remained silent in their positions until the soul-stealing insects started to gather around her body. It was time for her to go and return to Kohaku before the taijiya discovers her younger brother.

"Kagome is fine," Kikyou said calmly.

Inuyasha's head jerked up in surprise and half-hope, "Really?"

"She still has my soul with her, I'll know if she dies. I'm hoping for that actually," she smiled scornfully.

He flinched a little at her words, "Kikyou?"

"That ookami is dead too; he was a hindrance," she added as a last thought while his jaw dropped at her not-so-ambiguous statement.

The undead miko turned around and started to walk away, "Head to your north-west. Naraku is hiding somewhere there."

Inuyasha looked at her fading back-view, not sure whether he was feeling grateful or guilty for that, and perplexed to why Kikyou had helped him and killed Kouga. Little did he know that she wanted him to be in her debt; because she wanted, and still carried that dead, twisted hope that Inuyasha would one day go to Hell with her willingly.

She knew that the dead were not allowed wishes and hopes. She knew.

* * *

"Kikyou-sama," Kohaku bowed a little as the undead miko returned. He had waited for almost an hour and was dying to leave, since he knew that his sister was around. He felt a little ashamed at himself for this fear in him, but decided that it was probably his retribution for not being able to face his family. 

Kikyou paused in her tracks, which was the way in which she acknowledged Kohaku's greetings, "We will set off now."

The young boy nodded his head and turned to follow his mistress, "To where Kikyou-sama?"

The ghostly Shinidama Chuu trailed after her long, dead black hair, "Mouryoumaru."

* * *

Jaken woke up in cold sweat. 

He had never dreamt much, but the one he had just now scared him, in many ways and none at the same time. There was nothing in his dream; no landscapes, no youkai or humans, just him alone peacefully in isolation.

_It was the funny feeling_, the kappa-youkai told himself as he tried to make sense out of the dreamless dream, if there was ever such a term. It felt a little morbid, somewhat slimy yet dry, and mostly hollowed out. As if the space he was in was timeless, border-less and...

_Lifeless_, Jaken frowned to himself.

It felt like the end of times to him. There was even a sulphurous-like scent in the air, now that he recalled. He was wondering whether this had anything to do with the recent turn of events when someone spoke.

"Jaken."

He sprung up to his feet and instantly leveled his forehead with the ground, "Gomen nasai Sesshoumaru-sama! I have slept for far too long and-"

"Ikuzo," the taiyoukai slid Tenseiga back into its beautifully carved sheath and proceeded to move.

Jaken stared at his youkai lord; he had not reprimanded him for oversleeping. In fact, Sesshoumaru-sama had never ever stopped for anyone or for Rin's and his basic needs. But today, he had silently gestured to set camp, and waited until he was awake before they resumed their traveling.

He had not meant to fall asleep, but somehow watching his youkai lord manuevouring and practising with Tenseiga made him especially drowsy. Perhaps there was some sort of secretive exchange that went on between the master and the blade that was not meant for his ears. He knew that his lord was currently obsessed with the new attack that Tenseiga was now bestowed with, and he sometimes wondered where they were traveling to. Jaken suspected that Sesshoumaru-sama might be so caught up in learning the new trick that he might have forgotten about Rin.

Afterall, he was a youkai, and she was a human. Jaken also wondered who mattered more in his heart; Rin, Kagome or him?

He mentally shook his head; it would never be him. Still, somehow all these felt very wrong. His youkai lord was not really behaving as himself, and he tried to attribute it to his recent recovery and Rin's kidnap.

A stone met his head and Ah-Un grunted, suspiciously in its dragon-like laughter.

All thoughts and the dream he had were lost and Jaken quickly scrambled to his webbed feet, "Gomen nasai Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Jaken really preferred to be pelted by stones, for he desired no change in his life at all.

* * *

Hi guys! I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long... Reviews are much, much love for me. ) 

Once again, my deepest thanks goes out to Parsnip for her beta-ing, and crack jokes.


	4. The Lost Daisy

**The Lost Daisy**

I didn't think I'll get this chapter out, seeing how real-life has pulled me away from writing but... somehow, I had the time and some inspiration today, so here it is! I would like to apologize if this chapter is a little choppy, since it's been quite a while I wrote this story and continuing it is pretty difficult. Well, many details to take care of and Im trying to tie up the loose ends. Not that it's going to end soon, still a fair bit more to go actually.

I hope you guys like it. I tried. :)

PS: The temple is a based on real one that I've visited in Japan. Its called Kinkakuji. And... the title has a meaning. Pls review! Your reviews make this chapter come true!

* * *

_**"Why could he not turn his life towards me, as trees though troubled by the wind yet continue in the path of the sun?"**_

**- Jeanette Winterson **

* * *

Miroku partially shielded his eyes while he tried to focus at the gleaming, beautiful shining temple that was not too far away. There was a small dark crane on top of it and it seemed to him that the whole temple was coated in gold. Brilliant, eye-hurting, attention-seeking gold that was a screaming contrast from its dulled background of fork-like bare, gray trees. 

"Inuyasha, that is a temple."

"Hmm," Sango pursed her lips while Shippou remained abnormally quiet.

Inuyasha let out a derisive snort and folded his arms while he continued to head forwards, "How would I know?!"

Miroku absentmindedly rubbed his stubby chin and said out loud his thoughts, "I wonder what is Kikyou-sama's true intentions..."

"Inuyasha, do you think we are going in the right direction? I don't think _that _is Naraku's hideout," Sango frowned a little.

"And it's also unlike him, to be _this_ loud... it looks like a trap or diversion if you ask me," Miroku added.

"Maybe Kagome is not there at all! And why would Naraku want to hide inside a temple?" Sango instantly followed up.

The hanyou threw his hands up into his air and jumped around to three startled friends, "Can you guys SHUT UP!"

All three of them instantly clamped their mouths shut; it was simply no good to agitate Inuyasha further now. Even Kirara gave a small squeak-like sound and hid behind Sango's nape. To be truthful, everyone was exhausted and disheartened and Inuyasha's irate temper just made everything worse.

"Can anyone sense his presence? Or perhaps there is a barrier surrounding this temple? Isn't it a little odd that there is a temple in this place?" Shippou calmly asked.

No one expected this, but it seemed that the smallest of all had wisdom to offer sometimes. Inuyasha

Miroku's head snapped up, "Shippou, you are absolutely right! This temple is out of place here, but I don't understand why Naraku would erect or create such an illusion just to attract us? Is he tired of waiting or is there a more important purpose..?"

His words faltered away as he slipped into deep thought along with Shippou. Sango squinted hard at the glaringly magnificent temple, "I don't sense anything... but there could be a barrier as before..."

Inuyasha took a few steps forward and allowed his gaze to settle on the crane on top of the gold temple; Shippou was right. Miroku could analyze, Sango helped wherever she could. But what about him? He only yelled, pushed everyone around and brooded.

Inuyasha scoffed at his pathetic self-conclusion mentally, and caught himself doing that. He would not have thought like this last time; it was Kagome who changed him. Somewhere, in a distant part of his mind, he was really, really very impressed with her. She had powers, but they were not very reliable and she was only a human. Yet she could change people, and even though Inuyasha found this a little hard to swallow down, Kagome had changed Sesshoumaru too.

He knew, deep down in his heart, that Sesshoumaru was no longer the old Sesshoumaru. He knew that something happened between them, but it didn't seem important for him to know anymore. At least not now. As long as Kagome's heart was with him, Inuyasha found that he didn't really care for all these finicky things anymore. And his Kagome was somewhere inside this temple, he was pretty sure. It didn't seem to him that Kikyou would lie... and besides, he could feel that time was running out. Their quest would come to an end soon, and no one wanted to prolong it further than necessary. Blood would be shed, he knew, but whose blood?

Again, the image of Kagome's dead face and glassy eyes came to his mind and he squeezed his eyes shut.

_No_, Inuyasha took in a deep breath, _No._

_She cannot be the sacrifice_, he opened his eyes and rested his hand on the hilt of Tessaiga.

"Unless..." Miroku's voice shook all of them out from their thoughts, "Unless... Naraku is making this his final showdown. Or some kind of ultimatum..."

Sango's and Shippou's face paled a little.

"Let's go and test it out, that's the only way eh?" Inuyasha began to make his way towards the temple but his tone was considerably softer and more genial. His companions smiled a little and agreed in unison.

There was truly a barrier surrounding the temple. But nothing that Inuyasha's Tessaiga cannot split it. As they walked through the diminishing temple, they could feel traces of Naraku all around but it was rather slight. As if he'd already left this place and this temple was only a show. A pretty show to get their hopes up so that they could be weakened further.

Inuyasha scowled, and Miroku thought that was pretty considerate of him.

"I suppose he's left, or at least, his real person is not here," the weary monk could not help but to let out a sigh. If they could fight, against their enemies, perhaps they could at least let out their hopelessness and frustration a little but it seemed that their enemies were always a step ahead of them.

"Wait," Sango tensed and Kirara'd transformed. Inuyasha sniffed a little and Miroku's eyes sparkled.

They could sense a familiar youki in the courtyard now. It came suddenly, but it felt strong and... sly.

"Byakuya!" Inuyasha shouted when the illusionist-youkai waved his hands from the tiled roof-top.

"Hello you people! Waiting for me?" Byakuya teased and let out a short, high-pitched laugh.

Inuyasha however did not respond to his taunts; he had more important issues on hand, "Where is Kagome?!"

"And Rin," Miroku added and Sango prepared her Hiraikotsu while Shippou held onto Kirara's furs.

Byakuya dangled his legs and gave a pondering face, "Hmmm... I think they are right here... but where, I cannot say. Isn't this supposed to be a hide-n-seek game? Aren't the human females prizes? Or are they not?"

This time round, it was Sango who responded and her tone was testy, "So much crap!" And Hiraikotsu was out.

Byakuya ducked the gigantic flying boomerang so easily as if he was hopping on floating lotus leaves, "That's all you can do? Patheeeetic!"

Sango caught hold of her boomerang and was tempted to swing it out when Miroku stopped her, "Don't! Don't waste our effort on him; he's delaying us for some reason, let's just go inside and look for Kagome-sama!"

But the illusionist-youkai landed onto the courtyard and grinned, "Ho? So only the monk has some brains... and do you think you can just go in like that, so easily? Naraku is no fool, and I am no weakling you know."

"So this is the case huh? Inuyasha, you go and find Kagome-sama and Rin! Sango and I will fend off this disgusting creep!" Miroku unwrapped the cloth around his right hand and the rosary beads. Kirara let out a growl while Shippou had already took out whatever tools he had.

Inuyasha muttered a 'thanks' under his breath and raced off for the interior courts.

* * *

Naraku sat leaning against the wall and observed the two; it was interesting how these weak humans would behave when they were so near death. Having seen and caused countless deaths, Naraku has never gotten tired of it. Every human was more of less the same; plead for mercy, grovel on the ground, losing control over their body and sometimes mind... 

Kagome was slightly different. Naraku pursed his lips, wondering whether that was true or whether she didn't think she would die today. The two females sat huddled together, clinging to each other for warmth and sanity. The little one was ready to go, in his opinion since she had almost no more strength left in her body anymore. Her blood was not moving fast even though the room was no longer cold. Kagome looked to be a bit more studier although she avoided eye contact with him.

"So, have you considered my proposition? I do not have all day for you," Naraku stretched out one leg.

"I said that I won't give you my eyes or my soul or my body, just kill me, and let Rin go," Kagome closed her eyes and buried her face into Rin's hair. She was so tired that she felt like dying; all the imaginable bones and muscles in her body were so weak and aching and she couldn't even move one more bit even if she wanted to. Deep inside her heart, Kagome'd already resigned herself to her Fate and even then, her mind stopped. She could think no more further. Lack of food and good sleep and stress was zapping her sanity bit by bit, but at least, she would hold out as long as possible until Rin was safely in Sesshoumaru's arms.

And at the thought of his name, her heart ached and went cold.

"Fine, I'd expected this. Let's go out and meet your lovers then," Naraku got to his feet and channelled a sphere around the two weak females, lifting them up before him as they moved to the inner courts.

* * *

"Sesshoumaru! What are you doing here?" Inuyasha stared at his half-brother bewildered. 

"Of course my lord is here for Rin! Can you not remember anything at all?!" Jaken angrily replied while stomping Nintoujou on the ground. Sesshoumaru did not even turn his head but merely looked at the Buddha statue looming before them. He knew that Inuyasha could also feel Naraku's presence moving towards here, but made no mention of it. Whether this would be the final battle or not didn't matter to him either.

There were only two things on his mind; Kagome and Rin. Sesshoumaru wanted to see them, desperately and he would acknowledge this to no one. He would rescue Rin, and Kagome... he would let her make the decision.

And suddenly, without any warning, Naraku appeared before them in his red sphere of barrier. Crouching behind him were Kagome and Rin.

"And so you found the holy grail! Or are they not?" Naraku laughed, "I am not surprised both of you came... oh, all for one woman. Or two?"

Inuyasha pulled out the transformed Tessaiga and barked, "Don't fucking pull anymore shit on us! Let's just get this over quick and fast!" And with that, he charged for the barrier and hacked at it. Naturally, it was unbreakable and Tessaiga merely bounced off it like a plastic sword on a rubber ball.

Sesshoumaru remained impassive, his eyes fixed on the two females. Rin was so weak that he almost couldn't smell her pulse, and that alarmed him greatly. She was already drifting in and out of unconsciousness and her neck couldn't even seem to support her head. Whereas Kagome did not dare to meet his gaze at all. For reasons unfathomable to him; his heart felt gripped by an icy-cold hand which refused to loosen its hold. Sesshoumaru wanted to pull away the hand, dig out his heart, give it to Kagome and return to his home with Rin.

He admitted to himself that he was tired, too. Tired of being caught up between her old love and hesitations and duties to his half whelp of a brother and his love for her. Even now at the juncture, she dared not meet his eyes. _Why_? This question ran through his mind and was reflected in his eyes yet she would not see.

Perhaps she wouldn't even care for his heart, even if he gave it to her on a silver platter.

"Sesshoumaru! Are you going to help or not?!" Inuyasha panted and glared at the taiyoukai who seemed lost in his thoughts.

Sesshoumaru remained quiet, for he knew that he too could not break through Naraku's barrier and it was obvious that Naraku wanted negotiations, or whatever plan he'd hatched in his mind. It was futile and a waste of one's energy to try hack at the sphere even though he himself never had to find himself physically tired.

Emotional fatigue was another issue, and new to him. Still, he had to deal with it.

"Naraku, state your business," Sesshoumaru's words were icy and firm. They were at the disadvantaged point, not Naraku.

Inuyasha seemed to have realized this point and kept silent; his companions having distracted Byakuya enough, rushed to the inner court and found all of them gathered there. "Kagome-chan!" Sango could not help but to let out a tearful cry; she was so very glad to see her in one piece yet her heart hurt to see her so broken. It was written all over Kagome's face as she hugged Rin tightly to her skinny body. Shippou's tears brimmed, but he would not allow himself to cry for he knew that Kagome now needed support and strength.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said out her name softly, a million thoughts running through his mind.

The corners of Naraku's lips lifted up slightly, "So everyone is finally gathered here... well then let us waste no more time. I will only let _one_ go."

Kagome shuddered and concentrated.

"Fucking bastard!" Inuyasha charged for Naraku's barrier again and this time round, Sesshoumaru did not wait. Everyone joined, even Jaken but no matter what they did, they only managed to bring the roof top crashing down. Naraku's barrier remained solid and un-penetrable.

"This is no fun, isn't it?!" Naraku gave a shrilly yet deep, maniacal laughter and let down his barrier, "Even if you slice me apart a thousand times, I will not die!"

Then before anyone could react, Naraku pulled apart the two females and Kagome shrieked. She tried to purify the tentacles surrounding her waist and wrists but she was so weak that her palms shone lightly and nothing else. She despaired at her own weakness and lack of strength and cried, "Bastard! Bastard! Kill me!"

Inuyasha shouted and charged again but only ended up slicing tentacles. There was no way he could unleash any attacks since Kagome and Rin were with him. Sesshoumaru braked to a stop and his lips parted at Kagome's cry; had something transpired between her and Naraku? He let out a feral growl, his inner beast struggling to get out and urged him to transform to his original form but he hesitated. His poisonous whip sliced apart the tentacles holding onto the females and he tried to get to them as fast as he could, but proximity was a factor and Naraku had them in his hold and blocked out the inu-brothers.

"So, do you want her?" Naraku lifted up the unconscious Rin, and then Kagome, "Or her? Who loves Kagome more?!"

Miroku scowled at this dirty trick; he was trying to drive a wedge between the inu-brothers and he had no idea why. Sango and Shippou shook their heads and cried out, "Kagome!" Jaken stared tearfully at little Rin who looked like a small skin-bag of bones.

Sesshoumaru wanted to say something, anything to make Naraku stop but he knew he wouldn't. The ending was already decided before they came and he had no idea who would be sacrificed. He wished he could use Tenseiga but he couldn't. Inuyasha raged and raged and Miroku held him back; if he antagonized Naraku further, he could kill both.

"No answer?" Naraku asked quietly and leered . Night had fallen, and the moon was visible above their heads.

"Kill me," Kagome's voice was _begging _him. But Naraku was never one to fulfill one's wishes, so he swiftly pulled apart Rin's body.

And Kagome was the only one who screamed.

* * *

I know, I killed Rin. Its not done on impulse, I'd planned her death a long while ago. :( 

I will try to finish this fic, really I will.


End file.
